Table cooker



TABLE COOKER Filed Oct. 8, 1927 1 35 ada ted to be contained. T

Patented June 24, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE OTTO A. LANGOS O]: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS TABLE cooxnn.

Application filed October 8, 192?. Serial No. 224,782.

My invention relates to table cookers and has for its main object the provision of a the egg is adapted to be cooked without water. I have provided a novel device, how- 1 ever, by means of which other small articles mziy be heated or baked with practical resu ts.

The details of the invention will be understood by consideration of the following de- 1 scription taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 1s a vertical sectional View through the center of a cooker embod ing the main features of my invention, an showing certail;1 attachments adapted to be used therewit Fi 2 is an irregular section taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing a 5 structural detail;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary support, and

1g. 5 is an elevational view of a tool view of an egg ada ted to be used with the cooker.

3o Tli e heater comprises a base 10 with feet 11 preferably made of fiber or similar material, an outflared portion 12 and a casing or housi-n 13 into which the heating elements an individual cooking chambers are e base 10 and out ared portion 12 are both substantially bell sha 0 but reversed from each other so that their transverse portions are held toether by suitable rivets 14-44. The cas-.

'111 has a bottom 16 suitably attached to the si e, and is secured to the base by a nut and bolt 17.-

Within the. casing there are arran ed a plurality of oreelain cups 18 of c lin rical shape and a apted to be positioned with respect to the casin by means of circular relief portions 19 ormed from the bottom 16. In this form the relief portion of the bottom serves as the bottom of the cup or heating shoulder, but an integral porcelain partition 18" may be provided if desired, to produce. a full porcelain cup. The cylindrical porcelain cups 18 are engaged by a top plate 21 which is recessed and provided with downwardly extending flanges 22 engaging on the inside of the cups in the manner shown.

This top plate is also secured to/the casing 13 in any suitable manner. It maybe simply clamped in place which is desirable from one point of view because it prevents all possibility of tampering with the heating elements and the like; and this construction is also advantageous because it is economi cally produced. I also anticipateproviding a readily detachable top late so that access to the heatingelements or the purpose of changing them may be easilv had. Both of these constructions can be had in ways well known in the art and it is not considered necessary to describe them in detail.

Various ways may be employed for arranging the heating elements with respect to the individual cooking chambers but I have developed-a form by means of which I ob tain very good results. The outside of the porcelain cups 18 is provided with convolute grooves for receivin sistance wire 23 whic 1 constitutes the heat ing element. The arrangement issuch that the porcelain not only serves as the cooking cup but also serves as a portion of the heating element itself.

The cooker is arranged so that the temperature in the chambers thereof may be modified depending upon the article to be cooked. In this connection, I provide two. pair of terminals 24-24 and 2525 which are connected to a suitable source of current supply for the production of either low or high temperature. This gives two heats but others may be supplied or any other heat regulating means provided if desired. I prefer this arrangement, however, because it is simple and fool-proof. If articles such as eggs are to be cooked, the low temperature is em cooke for example, small biscuits or cakes, the high temperature may be employed.

A cover is supplied for the cooker, includloyed. If other articles are to be helically wound re-' ing an annular band'26 with a glass top 27 secured between a peripheral flange on the band and an annular clamping member 28,

this clamping member being secured to the band by rivets 29. A hinge member 31 is riveted to one side of the band and extends is secured to the band of the cover, opposite the hinge.

Articles of food may be cooked within the porcelain cups 18 without the provision of any other container. I provide a number of cooking utensils or pans for use with the cups, however, the pans varying in design de ending upon the articles to be cooked.

Vhen an egg 4.1 is to be cooked, a shallow pan 12 is dropped into the bottom of the cooking chamber and a stand 43 placed therein in the manner shown. This stand is provided with three upstanding points 41 upon which the egg is adapted to rest. These points result in only a minimum surface engagement between the egg and the cooker and avoid all possibility of the egg being browned in spots or being cooked. unevenly. To further limit the possibility of the relative high heat conducting metal, causing too great a transfer of heat to the surface of the egg, a triangular opening 42 is provided in each one of the projectionsl so that the amount of metal is considerably less than that which would be required to conduct vsuflicient heating directly to the surface of the egg to deleteriously aflect it.

In addition to the minimum surface contact of the egg the shallow pan has the function of catc ingany egg. matter which flow should the egg crack during the coo ing operation. This an is removable from the heating chamber or the urpose of cleaning or when another type of pan is to be used for cooking or baking another food article.

When other articles are to be cooked besides eggs, :1. deep pan 47 may be used instead of the shallow an and this pan is adapted to be held within the porcelain cup in themanner shown. It has a top flange 47 resting against the top of the plate 21 which serves to retain the pan imposition. This flange is easily grasped for removing the pan when it is to be changed for another type of pan.

A tool 48 shown in Fig. 5 is provided for use with the cooker. It has two legs with an integral spring connection 48" and arcuate sides 48 which are shaped so as to fit the side edges of an egg or similar. object. The ends of the legs are provided with oflset feet 48 which are adapted to engage under the inwardly extending flange 42 of the shallow pan for removingthe pan and stand when another type of utensil attachment is to be used in the orcelain cup. The legs of the tool are istended sufficiently so that they may be screwed together to grip the egg, but allowed to slide so as to engage the feet under the flange 42 when the pan is to be removed.

In the construction of the casing 13, I provide a plate 51 from which the cars 32 are adapted to project as integralportions thereof. The terminals 24 and 25 are arranged so that they secure the casing 13 to the plate 51. In this way, the plate 51 serves to fasten together the two ends of the strip making up the casing, and to reinforce the casing at this point sufficiently to maintain the cars and switch terminals in firm position without possibility of injury to the casing. This construction aids materially in the production of a light efficient cooker adapted for table use.

My cooker in practical use, is a big improvement over. other waterless e g cookers heretofore known. An egg can be cooked in a dry heat without the presence of any brown markings on the shell such as would normally result from the contact between the egg and a metal supporting structure. The cooker is easily cleaned if by any chance an e'gg shell should be broken so as to permit the white of the egg to run downwardly into the bottom of the cooking chamber.

The cup 47 can be used for baking small biscuits or cakes or it can be filled with water or milk for the purpose of poaching-an egg therein. It can also be coated with butter and the egg submitted to a. frying operation, or it may be filled with water and the egg boiled in the usual way. By partly filling the heating chambers with water, articles contained therein may be steamed. These and other cooking operations may be accomplished in a ractical convenient way at the breakfast tab e by the use of my equipment.

Although I have described specific forms of the invention in order that the details thereof may be clear to those skilled in the art, I do not restrict myself to the particular form shown and the invention is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A table cooker adapted to cook eggs without water, said cooker including a casing, an electric heating element within the casing, a removable pan, and an eggholder within the pan having pointed upward ex-' tensions on which the egg is adapted to rest durin the cooking operation;

2. l table cooker adapted to cook eggs without water, said cooker including a casing, an electric heating element within the casing, a shallow removable pan adjacent the heating element, and an egg supporting base within the panhaving upwardl extending pointed projections on whic the egg is adapted to be supported during the cooking operation.

3. In a table cooker adapted for baking eggs, a casing, a cup within the casin in I which an article is adapted to be coo ed, heating means within the casing and surrounding said cup, and means forming a plurality of points on which to support an egg durin bakin thereof.

4. A ta le coo er comprising a casing having a bottom, a raised portion formed in said bottom, a e lindricalheater resting on said bottom an positioned by said raised portion, a top plate secured to the casing and havin a flange extending into sai cylindrical eater, the space between the casing and the cylindrical walls of the heater being enclosed to heat insulate the heater.

5. A table cooker comprising a casing having a bottom plate, a pluralit of heaters positioned thereon, a top plate or securing the heaters in position, the casing together with the top and bottom plates forming enclosed heat insulating s aces around the heaters, andan enclose heat insulating space underneath the bottom plate.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 17th day of September, 1927.

OTTO A. LANGOS. 

